'I am ready' - Oleksandr Usyk sparks frenzy as he sends message to Tyson Fury about third fight

Oleksandr Usyk joked he is 'ready' to fight anytime in a playful message that drew a reference to old foe Tyson Fury.

In a video posted online by Saudi royal adviser Turki Alalshikh, the Ukrainian boxer insisted he was ready for another fight anywhere in the world, including Saudi Arabia.

“Hi brother, I am ready every time," Usyk began in a playful video. "I’m ready for Las Vegas, New York, Saudi Arabia, anything. “Come on! Greedy belly is my friend."

"Greedy Belly" is a nickname coined by Usyk to taunt Fury ahead of their two heavyweight boxing matches, which were both won by the Ukrainian. Usyk became the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 25 years when he outpointed Fury in May 2024.

The 39-year-old caused plenty of speculation with his latest comments because they appeared to suggest a potential third fight with Fury, when he already fights with Rico Verhoeven on May 23 in Egypt.

A potential third fight is an exciting prospect for boxing fans and would likely draw huge global interest, despite the fact that Usyk has already beaten him twice. The Ukrainian previously claimed he would like to fight Fury, Verhoeven and the winner of the Wardley-Dubois fight as his final opponents before retirement. Daniel Dubois came back from two knockdowns to defeat Fabio Wardley in the 11th round of their heavyweight clash on Saturday night.

As well as his two wins over Fury, Usyk has also defeated Dubois twice, so it is unclear whether a trilogy could be on the cards for either fighter. Given that the statement was made before the result of their weekend fight, he might have believed Wardley would have won instead.

It also didn't go unnoticed that Usyk's latest video was shared on social media by Alalshikh, the General Minister for Entertainment in Saudi Arabia, who was tasked with developing, promoting and expanding tourism and entertainment. He is well known for bringing boxing to Saudi Arabia and would appear very interested in staging one of Usyk's final encounters.